12 replies to this topic

[Stone]

I decided that this was not the time to purchase an unnecessary and expensive television set to replace my set with the slightly wobbly tube. In need of another unnecessary expenditure, I decided upon a turntable to add onto my unnecessarily expensive stereo equipment. Last year I purchased a Decco stereo amplifier, which comes with a built-in DAC that is supposed to decode digital iTunes signals much better than the Airport express or other Apple products. I also purchased two Totem Rainmaker speakers. The sound quality, from streamed iTunes, is, to my ears, exquisite. Clear, full range, and even a great bass without a sub-woofer.

So yesterday I bought a Pro-Ject Debut III USB turntable. I have some old albums I picked up that I didn't want to replace on CD, and a few (such as an amazing Bill Evans double LP "Piece Peace and other Songs" I haven't been able to find on CD or iTunes). And I like the thought of liking the sound of a turntable. This model was recommended by my local hi-fidelity hawker, and the reports on the Internets were strong. The usb was intriguing.

My last turntable was a Sharp mini-system with two styli and everything was automatic. The record slid into the chassis, and one stylus played the top side, the other played the bottom. The new high-end turntables are spartan by comparison. But oh so sleek and pretty.

I set it up and first listened to the beginning of Blue Train streamed from iTunes (I didn't have the patience to find the actual CD). Then listened to vinyl. Yes, I did notice a difference. Could it have been the power of suggestion? Sure. But the record sounded a bit fuller, and the subtle hiss and pop of the stylus (very subtle, this is a surprisingly clean sound) were like a warm fire on a cold day. I walked up to Second Hand Rose, a used record store at 12th & Bway and riffled through their $1 bargain bin for some old albums (and picked up some Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans and Art Tatum). My random picks from the dollar bin were successful, including a great album of old Scott Joplin rags.

The USB connect: interesting. Unfortunately, it won't plug directly into the usb input of my amplifier, but it does make for easier copying of album. I downloaded a free program from the Nets and it works just like a tape recorder. Drop the tone arm and hit record.

The biggest drawback of vinyl -- Only one side per side! And no remote controls.

[SRD]

A few weeks back I was listening to a programme about the change from vinyl to CD and it was mentioned that virtually all of the albums commercially available have been remixed to suit the new medium, even those that were taken from a two track stereo master.

[SLBunge]

I'm considering the Decco (or the Nova) since my current stereo setup sucks. I'm surprised that you can't stream from the turntable to the USB input of the Decco. That seems like a bit of an oversight.

[Stone]

I agree it's a bit odd not to take the usb straight from the turntable. the guy at the store explained why, but i don't remember.

I would suggest waiting for the Nova. I don't know if the extra 30W are necessary -- the 50W powers my speakers fine. But the extra inputs would be nice. The Decco has USB (pretty much wasted because my computer will rarely be close enough to hardwire), optical (used by the Airport express), digital co-ax (currently used for my dVD player), and two analog (cable and turntable). And remember -- there's no tuner/receiver, so I'm out of inputs if I want one. Although I'm happy getting radio on the Internets.

[Sneakeater]

The biggest drawback of vinyl -- Only one side per side!

Actually, to me, that's the biggest advantage of vinyl.

Maybe it's because of years of acclimation, but I find it easier to find 20-minute increments of listening time than 60+ minutes. (Like when you're having breakfast and getting out of the house in the morning: an album side was the perfect length for that.) I often find it hard to find time to listen to a full CD.

[Stone]

You do know there's an "off" button?

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, but Albums Are Works. I hate to leave things in mid-stream. When records came on vinyl, they were programmed to have sides. Now, they're programed to function as hour-long listening experiences.

[SLBunge]

Last summer we returned from a trip to St Louis with stacks of albums collected by S's grandfather. He was an executive at one of the prominent, regional audio sales outlets in the 60s, 70s and 80s and before that was a pianist and piano instructor. He had a passion for opera so much of what we grabbed were full operas on vinyl. (We also grabbed his reel-to-reel and tapes but it need to be refurbished.) We've fallen into a habit of playing an opera on Sunday mornings when we aren't running around.

This past week we played Rigoletto.



I couldn't find a release date for this set but I think it was probably late 50s. It was performed by the RCA Victor Orchestra with Renato Cellini. It's funny how antique it now seems for a record label to have its own house orchestra.

[SLBunge]

Oops.

[Sneakeater]

I couldn't believe that I wrote the exact same post (almost) twice, two and a quarter years apart.

(I deleted the second one, in case anyone is wondering what this is about.)

[SLBunge]

I couldn't believe that I wrote the exact same post (almost) twice, two and a quarter years apart.

(I deleted the second one, in case anyone is wondering what this is about.)

I tried to comment on your consistency but you had deleted the post by the time I posted.

[Sneakeater]

"Consistency" is the nice word for it.

[SLBunge]

It's Record Store Day tomorrow. Lots of special vinyl releases including a Starman 7" picture disc: